Tang poem · five-character regulated verse唐诗 · 五言律诗

zéi贼píng平hòu后sòng送rén人běi北guī归

sī司kōng空shǔ曙Sikong Shu · Tang唐

Seeing a Friend Off North After the Rebels Are Crushed

shì世luàn乱tóng同nán南qù去

shí时qīng清dú独běi北huán还

tā他xiāng乡shēng生bái白fà发

jiù旧guó国jiàn见qīng青shān山

xiǎo晓yuè月guò过cán残lěi垒

fán繁xīng星sù宿gù故guān关

hán寒qín禽yǔ与shuāi衰cǎo草

chù处chù处bàn伴chóu愁yán颜

Underlined words have notes: tap one. The Pinyin button below shows or hides all pinyin. 一 and 不 are marked with the tone you actually say.字下有虚线的，点开有注释。下方的“拼音”按钮可以显示或隐藏全部拼音。“一”“不”标的是实际读出来的变调。

Line by line逐句翻译

世乱同南去When the world fell into chaos, we fled south together.天下大乱的时候，我们一起逃到南方；
时清独北还Now that peace has come, you alone go back north.如今天下太平了，你却一个人回北方。
他乡生白发In this strange land our hair has turned white.在他乡，我们的头发都已经白了；
旧国见青山Back home, you will see the green hills you knew.回到故乡，你会看见熟悉的青山。
晓月过残垒On the road, the dawn moon will shine on broken forts,路上，清晨的月亮照着残破的营垒，
繁星宿故关and at night you will sleep at old passes under crowded stars.夜里，满天星星陪你住在旧关口。
寒禽与衰草Cold-weather birds and withered grass寒天的鸟和枯黄的草，
处处伴愁颜will keep your sad face company all the way.一路上处处陪着你发愁的脸。

Words字词注释

世乱shì luàn: shì luàn: the world in chaos, meaning the An Lushan Rebellion.世乱：天下大乱，指安史之乱。
同南去tóng nán qù: tóng nán qù: we fled south together.同南去：我们一起逃到南方。
时清shí qīng: shí qīng: peace has come again.时清：天下太平了。
独北还dú běi huán: dú běi huán: only you go back north.独北还：只有你一个人回北方去。
他乡tā xiāng: tā xiāng: a place that is not one's home.他乡：别的地方，不是自己的家乡。
旧国jiù guó: jiù guó: one's old home.旧国：故乡。
残垒cán lěi: cán lěi: the broken forts and walls left from the war.残垒：打仗留下的、破破烂烂的营垒和工事。
故关gù guān: gù guān: an old mountain pass with a gate.故关：旧时的关口。
寒禽hán qín: hán qín: birds in the cold season.寒禽：寒天里的鸟。
衰草shuāi cǎo: shuāi cǎo: withered, yellow grass.衰草：枯黄的草。
愁颜chóu yán: chóu yán: a sad face.愁颜：发愁的脸。

How to read it读音

还huán: Běi huán means to return north, so the character is read huán.“北还”是回北方的意思，读 huán。
宿sù: Here it means to stay for the night, read sù.“宿”是住宿、停留的意思，读 sù。

Background创作背景

The rebels in the title are the forces of the An Lushan Rebellion. In 755 An Lushan and Shi Siming rose up, and war raged in the north for eight years. Many people fled south, the poet and this friend among them. After the rebellion was put down in 763, the friend set off for his northern home, while the poet stayed in the south and wrote this farewell poem. Who the friend was is no longer known.

“贼”指安史之乱的叛军。755年安禄山、史思明起兵叛乱，北方打了八年仗，很多人逃到南方避难，诗人和这位朋友也是这样。763年叛乱平定后，朋友要回北方的家乡，诗人却留在南方，于是写诗送别。这位朋友是谁，已经不知道了。

The poet作者

Sikong Shu was a Tang poet, one of the Ten Talents of the Dali era, a group of ten famous poets under Emperor Daizong. He lived through the An Lushan Rebellion and took refuge in the south for a time. His poems often deal with partings and the sadness of war-torn times.

司空曙，唐代诗人，“大历十才子”之一。大历是唐代宗的年号，那时有十位诗人很有名，他是其中之一。他经历过安史之乱，曾经在南方避难，诗里常写离别和乱世的伤感。

The mood意境

The first two lines balance beautifully. In chaos they left together; in peace one returns alone. Together and alone: those two words carry the pain of parting. Lines three and four say: we grew old and gray far from home, and now at last you can see your home hills again, which is both happy and sad. The last four lines imagine the friend's road: the moon over broken forts, stars above old passes, cold birds and dead grass everywhere. The war is over, but its scars are everywhere. The sorrow belongs to the friend, and to the poet too.

开头两句对得很巧：乱的时候“同”去，太平了却“独”回。一个“同”一个“独”，说出了朋友分别的难过。第三、四句说，在外面熬白了头，你终于能回去看家乡的青山了，又高兴又心酸。后面四句是诗人想象朋友一路上的样子：月亮照着打仗留下的破营垒，星星陪他睡在旧关口，路边全是冷天的鸟和枯草。战争虽然结束了，到处还是伤痕。这份愁，既是朋友的，也是诗人自己的。